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%Created: Thu Jun 23 22:34:09 2022 +1000
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%PageFooter:0,0 "Better Minor Suit Bidding"
%PageFooter:0,1 "Saturday June 25th, 2022"
%PageFooter:0,2 "(c) Will Jenner-O'Shea"
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[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "1"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "N"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "N:AJ92.KQT.5.AQJ96 843.A964.QJ76.53 KQ5.8.KT43.KT872 T76.J7532.A982.4"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "S"]
[Contract "3NT"]
[Result ""]
{

North opens 1\C and South raises to 3\C which shows around 11 - 12 High Card
points. <b>Bidding Tip: </b>When you are raising a minor, don't add shortage
points - the final contract might hopefully be No-Trumps, and the shortages
won't be useful.\n
North has a hand that wants to go to game, but should use the available bidding
space to investigate No-Trumps. North knows that there is no Spade fit, since
partner's 3\C raise denies a four+ card Major. North bids their <b>Cheapest
Stopper</b>, 3\H, which shows a Heart stopper, and denies a Diamond stopper.
Since that is the only suit that South is lacking, South bids 3NT.

On a Heart lead from West, Declarer should play the King (or Queen)
immediately, which forces out the Ace. If East switches to the \DQ, then
Declarer should play the \DK to force out the Ace and promote the \DT as a
stopper.\n
Once Declarer gains the lead, she can win 5\C and 4\S tricks, plus whatever
other stoppers she has won.}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "N"]
1C Pass 3C Pass
3H =1= Pass 3NT Pass
Pass Pass
[Note "1: Heart stopper, No Diamond Stopper (nothing about Spades)"]
[Play "W"]
H3

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "2"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "S"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "S:AQT73.2.KT854.KJ K42.87653.6.AQ32 J5.AK9.AQ9732.96 986.QJT4.J.T8754"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "S"]
[Contract "3NT"]
[Result ""]
{

South opens 1\S and then raises North's Diamonds. South has a great hand, but
should be careful jumping. <b>Bidding Tip:</b> Don't go past 3NT when you are
raising a minor unless you are really sure that you want to play in the minor -
once you bid 4\C or 4\D you can't go back to 3NT.\n
North bids 3\H to show a Heart stopper, but deny a stopper elsewhere. Since
only Clubs are unbid, North must be worried about Clubs.\n
South bids 3NT with their (dubious) Club stopper.

If West leads a Club then Declarer has one Club stopper, but then must take all
their tricks without losing the lead. There are 6\D, 2\H and the \SA (plus the
Club).\n
If West chooses to lead a different suit, then Declarer can safely try the
Spade finesse, since even if it loses, they still have a possible Club stopper.
}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "S"]
1S Pass 2D Pass
3D Pass 3H =1= Pass
3NT Pass Pass Pass
[Note "1: Stopper in Hearts, not in Clubs (would have bid 3NT)"]
[Play "W"]
H7

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "3"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "N"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "N:5.KQJ.AKT85.QT64 J863.AT865.72.K8 KT9.4.QJ963.AJ92 AQ742.9732.4.753"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "S"]
[Contract "3NT"]
[Result ""]
{

North opens 1\D and South raises to 3\D (11-12 HCP) - South doesn't get too
carried away with shortage points. North shows their Heart stopper (bidding a
new suit after a minor is not necessarily a suit, just showing stoppers,
looking for 3NT).\n
Both players have a singleton, so getting to 3NT is difficult.

If West leads a low Spade (it is fine to lead 'away' from an Ace against
No-Trumps), then Declarer has one Spade stopper, but can't afford to lose the
lead.\n
There are 5\D tricks, and the \SK, and \CA, but Declarer can't afford to
establish any Heart tricks. Declarer should try finessing the Clubs, since a
successful finesse will make the contract. Lead the \CQ and if the finesse
wins, lead the \CT next. }
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "N"]
1D Pass 3D Pass
3H =1= Pass 3NT Pass
Pass Pass
[Note "1: Stopper in Hearts, worried about something else"]
[Play "W"]
S4

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "4"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "S"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "S:43.AKJT9.96.KQJ7 AJT6.Q85.J853.62 52.62.AKQ7.AT853 KQ987.743.T42.94"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "N"]
[Contract "5C"]
[Result ""]
{

South opens 1\H and then raises North's 2\C bid to 3\C. South shouldn't jump
beyond 3NT. North is worried about Spades, so bids 3\D to show their Diamond
stoppers, but lack of Spade stopper.\n
South has no Spade stopper so does NOT bid 3NT, and goes back to Clubs.
North-South avoid a terrible 3NT contract here.

Declarer will probably lose the first two Spade tricks, and then can get the
lead and draw trumps.\n
The Diamonds will mostly win, and the Hearts can be established by trumping one
after playing the \HA and \HK. Don't finesse Hearts, since you can trump them
instead which is much safer.}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "S"]
1H Pass 2C Pass
3C Pass 3D =1= Pass
4C Pass 5C Pass
Pass Pass
[Note "1: Diamond Stopper, no Spade stopper"]
[Play "E"]
SK

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "5"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "N"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "N:J.AJ874.KQT.J982 T543.T2.AJ742.Q4 AK8.65.63.AKT763 Q9762.KQ93.985.5"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "N"]
[Contract "3NT"]
[Result ""]
{

North opens 1\H and then raises South's 2\C bid to 3\C. South has Spades
covered, but no stoppers in Diamonds, so bids 3\S. North has the Diamonds
covered, so confidently bids 3NT. North has a singleton, and South has two weak
doubletons, but if they can work it out, they have all the suits covered
between them.

East will probably lead a low Diamond against 3NT by North - it is fine to lead
'away' from an Ace against a No-Trump contract. Declarer has 6\C tricks, plus
the \SAK and \HA, and the Diamond stopper they win early in the game. There
aren't many more tricks to be established, and the remaining Diamonds are
fragile, so Declarer should probably just take their tricks.

}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "N"]
1H Pass 2C Pass
3C Pass 3S =1= Pass
3NT Pass Pass Pass
[Note "1: Stopper in Spades, not in Diamonds"]
[Play "E"]
D4

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "6"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "S"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "S:AQT95.KQT.4.QJ85 J832.8753.AK52.3 K6.AJ.T93.AK9764 74.9642.QJ876.T2"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "N"]
[Contract "6C"]
[Result ""]
{

South opens 1\S and then raises the 2\C bid to 3\C. North has a stopper in
Hearts, but no stopper in Diamonds. South has a really good hand, and once they
commit to playing in Clubs (instead of No-Trumps), they have a very strong
hand. Having no Diamond stopper, but having a singleton Diamond, means that
they only have one Diamond loser if the play with Clubs as trumps. South might
investigate a slam.

The Defenders will take the first Diamond trick, but once Declarer gets the
lead, she can draw trumps and win all the remaining tricks easily.
}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "S"]
1S Pass 2C Pass
3C Pass 3H =1= Pass
4NT =2= Pass 5D =3= Pass
6C Pass Pass Pass
[Note "1: Showing a Heart stopper, no Diamond stopper"]
[Note "2: Asking for Keycards in Clubs"]
[Note "3: 0 or 3 Keycards"]
[Play "E"]
DQ

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "7"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "N"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "N:A7.JT7.AKT864.K8 9842.Q62.9.JT972 KJ53.A94.QJ2.A53 QT6.K853.753.Q64"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "N"]
[Contract "6D"]
[Result ""]
{

North opens 1\D and then jump rebids to 3\D over South's 1\S response.
Repeating the Diamonds shows six+ cards there, and the jump shows 16+ points.
South has stoppers everywhere, so 3NT is an option. South also has Aces in the
unbid suits (no losers there). The South hand is close to a slam, and might bid
4NT instead of settling in 3NT.\n
<i>With all of the Keycards, South might ask for Kings, which sometimes takes
them too high (higher than 6\D) they can still bail out in 6NT if they don't
want to bid to 7\D. They have all the Aces, so they have a stopper in each
suit.</i>

Playing in 6\D, Declarer can draw trumps, and then win 6\D, 2\C, the \HA and at
least two Spades (making at least 12 tricks). There are two options to find an
additional trick with the \SJ. Either finessing the Spade, or attempting to
trump Spades until the Queen comes out.\n
Bidding and making a slam is always great, but possibly making a 13th trick is
a small extra score.}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "N"]
1D Pass 1S Pass
3D Pass 4NT =1= Pass
5D =2= Pass 6D Pass
Pass Pass
[Note "1: Asking for Keycards in Diamonds"]
[Note "2: 0 or 3 Keycards"]
[Play "E"]
CJ

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "8"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "S"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "S:A7.K9.AKQ987.875 T9862.765.65.T94 KQJ.QJT2.432.KQJ 543.A843.JT.A632"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "N"]
[Contract "3NT"]
[Result ""]
{

South opens 1\D and then jumps to 3\D over the 1\H response. North has stoppers
in the other suits, and chooses to bid 3NT. This hand is similar to the
previous hand, but North has no Aces (critical for slam) and not very good
Diamonds.

East probably leads a low Club against 3NT. Declarer gets the lead, and can
easily win six Diamond tricks and three Spades. If Declarer notices that they
have a second Club stopper, they might lead Hearts early to establish a Heart
or two to go with all the rest.
}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "S"]
1D Pass 1H Pass
3D Pass 3NT Pass
Pass Pass
[Play "E"]
C2

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "9"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "N"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "N:AJ5.KT84.KJ983.J KQ976.AQ6.5.QT76 432.7.AQ742.K984 T8.J9532.T6.A532"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "N"]
[Contract "3D"]
[Result ""]
{

North opens 1\D and East overcalls 1\S. South has a great Diamond fit, but only
9 HCP. South should bid just 2\D. South shouldn't add their shortage points,
since North might bid to 3NT, and the singleton is worthless. If the auction
gets competitive later, South might compete to  3\D with good Diamonds, and
shape.\n
<b>Note that bidding 2\D and then 3\D shows more shape, not more points.</b>\n
If South had jumped to 3\D immediately, North might bid 3NT which would be a
disaster.

If North-South play in Diamonds, East will probably lead the \SK. Declarer can
win and draw trumps. The best play in Clubs is to lead the \CJ 'towards' the
King, and similarly in Hearts (lead the \H7 'towards' the King). Declarer will
probably lose a trick in each side suit, and make around 9 or maybe 10 tricks.
}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "N"]
1D 1S 2D Pass
Pass X 3D Pass
Pass Pass
[Play "E"]
SK

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "10"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "S"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "S:QJ96.AJ92.QJ.JT8 AKT74.Q5.854.K62 53.843.AK2.AQ953 82.KT76.T9763.74"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "S"]
[Contract "3NT"]
[Result ""]
{

South opens 1\C and West overcalls 1\S. North has a great fit and a great hand,
but can't bid 2\C or 3\C which are passable. North could bid 4\C or 5\C, but
that risks missing out on 3NT. North can't bid No-Trumps (no Spade stopper),
but can utilise the Cue Bid (2\S) to ask for a stopper. South has a stopper in
Spades, so bids No-Trumps. South shouldn't worry about stoppers in any other
suit, only the suit that the opponents have bid.

West will probably lead a Spade, and best in No-Trumps is to have 3 cards in a
sequence. West might lead the Ace, or better, a low Spade.\n
Declarer gets the lead soon enough, and needs to establish the Clubs to make
her game. Best is to get the lead to her hand, and then lead the \CJ for the
finesse. If the finesse wins repeat it. \n
Declarer can win 5\C, 3\D, the \HA and perhaps a Spade. If the Club finesse has
lost, the hand would have been harder, but probably still makeable.


}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "S"]
1C 1S 2S =1= Pass
2NT Pass 3NT Pass
Pass Pass
[Note "1: Good hand, 13+, usually Club fit, asking for a stopper"]
[Play "W"]
S7

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "11"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "N"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "N:543.AK7.AJ972.J5 AKJT97.J4.63.T98 2.Q63.KQ854.AKQ7 Q86.T9852.T.6432"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "N"]
[Contract "6D"]
[Result ""]
{

North opens 1\D and East jump overcalls with 2\S. South has a great Diamond
fit, and enough points for game, so can't bid 3\D (passable). South bids 3\S to
suggest a Diamond fit, but also look for 3NT (asking for a Spade stopper).
North has no Spade stopper, so bids 4\D. South revalues their hand, and with
the singleton, is very close to a slam. South also knows that they can't lose
two Spade tricks.

East will lead the \SA against 6\D by North, and there is no good suit to
switch to next. The play in 6\D will be a lot easier than the bidding. Declarer
has all the tricks in all the suits, just losing one Spade trick and making 12.



}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "N"]
1D 2S 3S =1= Pass
4D Pass 4NT =2= Pass
5H =3= Pass 6D Pass
Pass Pass
[Note "1: Good hand, usually a Diamond fit, asking for a stopper"]
[Note "2: Asking for Keycards in Diamonds"]
[Note "3: 2 Keycards, no \DQ"]
[Play "E"]
SA

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "12"]
[West ""]
[North ""]
[East ""]
[South ""]
[Dealer "S"]
[Vulnerable "None"]
[Deal "S:A.T6.AKJ85.KQ965 KQJT53.J853.Q2.4 86.AKQ.T9763.AT7 9742.9742.4.J832"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "S"]
[Contract "6D"]
[Result ""]
{

South opens 1\D and West overcalls 2\S. North has a game going hand, so can't
bid 3\D. North bids 3\S to ask for a Spade stopper. South has a possible Spade
stopper, but also a very powerful hand that is very good for a slam in a minor.
South has a fragile stopper, but also a very unbalanced hand.\n
South might look for slam instead of offering 3NT.

Playing in 3NT, Declarer has all the tricks, provided that the \DQ drops.

Playing in 6\D, Declarer has all the tricks, provided that the trumps get
drawn. }
[BCFlags "1f"]
[Auction "S"]
1D 2S 3S =1= Pass
4C Pass 4D Pass
4NT =2= Pass 5H =3= Pass
6D Pass Pass Pass
[Note "1: Good hand, usually a Diamond fit, Asking for a stopper"]
[Note "2: Asking for Keycards in Diamonds"]
[Note "3: 2 Keycards, no \DQ"]
[Play "W"]
SK
